I enjoy films about dysfunctional families and their various dramas. I also enjoy quiet independent films devoid of the usual Hollywood crap (car explosions, gratuitous violence or nudity, people who are too pretty to be real, etc). But I’m starting to wonder if the world of independent film is overusing the dysfunctional family hook. The main reason I wonder this is because I can’t seem to get into the trailer for Smart People, which has all the elements of a movie I’d usually be looking forward to.

Great cast: Dennis Quaid is a self-absorbed mopey college professor. Ellen Page is his overachieving high school daughter (sort of a snarkier Rory Gilmore). Thomas Haden Church is his lovable loser (adopted) brother. And Sarah Jessica Parker is his new love interest (as long as she stays away from any Carrie Bradshaw-like moments, she’s a pretty good actress).

Good pedigree: It’s from the same production team that did Sideways (a terrific movie).

Relatable story: A family that seems to have it all together on the outside, but is a crumbling mess behind the scenes. Dad is lonely, and kind of a pretentious jerk. Daughter is neurotic and doesn’t know how to just be a kid. Brother is the black sheep of the family, whose very presence is an annoyance, yet necessary to bring the family back together.

I guess what makes me somewhat ambivalent about Smart People is that the story is too relatable and too familiar. How many times have I seen the story of a family being brought back together by an unlikely agent? You Can Count On Me comes to mind. Maybe even The Family Stone. The trailer leaves me with a bit of a Little Miss Sunshine feel, too. I don’t know, maybe I’m being too critical and cynical, and I’ll eventually eat my words when Smart People has something new to offer when I eventually RENT IT.

Smart People is rated R and opens April 11. (Official site)

I must admit, I’ve seen this trailer about a thousand times by now. I even caught a First Look press junket interview at a recent screening of Reign Over Me (which was pretty darn touching, by the way). In the interview, Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire were obviously being fed lines about how many “twists and turns” were in Spider-Man 3 – boring diatribe that went in one ear and out the other. Um, hello guys! No one needs to be convinced! I mean really, it’s only one of the most anticipated movies of the last two years!

For me though, the excitement is a bit more personal. I remember last fall when I managed to get a few glimpses of Kirsten and Tobey (who both look amazing in person) filming down the street from my office. No, I wasn’t caught on camera – but I am looking forward to reminiscing about that beautiful, sunny day when I jumped up and down shrieking like a little girl, prompting some passersby to instruct me just exactly what I should do with my loud, skinny white ass…

But I digress, none of that matters. The truth is, this looks like it’ll be just as exciting as the first two. Harry and Peter finally get to duke it out, Mary Jane gets her ring (or maybe some lucky pedestrian does – the trailer doesn’t fully reveal that one), and we get our first glimpse of a Venom Symbiote as it bonds to Spider-Man!

All in all, it’s gonna be pretty freaking sweet. I’m definitely going to SEE IT.

Spider-Man 3 is not yet rated and opens May 4 (Official Site)

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